The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Title: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Author: Stephen Chbosky
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: 2nd February 2009
Genre: Coming of age

Summary:
Charlie is a wallflower. He spends his life curiously watching people and asking himself "why?" However, when he starts high school he decides he does not want to watch people anymore. He wants to actually live his life, make friends and fall in love.

Review:
When reading this book I loved the way the story was told through a series of letters addressed to Charlies anonymous friend (he never even gets a reply!). Although, it took some time to get used to, I thought this was really effective as it highlighted how isolated and different Charlie is compared to all the other characters in the book.

I love the way Chbosky has characterised Charlie as a socially awkward pre-teen, who does not know how to act around other people, as I am sure it is relatable to everyone at some point in their life. It also highlights how his character changes throughout the plot and the progress (if can call it that) he makes as a person. He grows up A LOT.


A thing that also stuck out for in the plot, is the underlying feeling that something was not quite right with Charlie and his past. The repeated mention of an event in his life (no spoilers, I promise!) created a sense of unease and tension that was eventually revealed at the end. This obviously kept me going, and intrigued me, right until the very end.

The ending is so heartbreaking. I actually nearly cried, and for someone who only cries at books and films when they are about dogs.. this is a BIG DEAL.

I want my own Charlie.

Rating: 10/10. There are not many books that I say this about but I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!

You can buy The Perks of Being a Wallflower from Amazon here.